Isaiah 45: 9-22 Revelation 14: 1-5
Do you take a narrow view of scripture or a broad view of scripture? What do you make of the one hundred and forty-four thousand standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion who had the Lamb’s name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads?
There is the image in our second lesson this morning. It’s a dramatic image certainly and the figure of one hundred and forty-four thousand is attractive and has given rise to several interpretations. The figure appears three times in the Book of Revelation – twice in Chapter 14 and once in Chapter 7.
It equates – approximately – to the population of Norwich. So, if you want to be saved, move to Norwich.
Now depending on what view you take of scripture – narrow or broad? – you can take the number literally. This has given rise to the belief – particularly amongst Jehovah’s Witnesses – that there will be one hundred and forty-four thousand faithful Christian men and women from the first day of Pentecost in the year 33 to the present day who will be resurrected and spend eternity with God and Christ, and no more than that.
In the Jewish tradition, this figure represents twelve thousand descendents of each of the 12 tribes of Israel who have been given a special destiny and distinct role by God at the end of time.
Others take a symbolic view of the number and it goes like this. 12 is a symbol in some thinking systems that represents totality. Multiplied by itself therefore and multiplied again by 1000 for perfect emphasis, the figure of one hundred and forty-four thousand represents all of God’s people throughout history in the heavenly Church.
So, you have a choice: but, as I asked before, do you take a narrow view of scripture or a broad view of scripture?
Before we decide, let’s see what’s required of those of us who hope one day to stand in the presence of God at the end of our journeys through life in this world.
Purity: spiritual purity, that is, which is articulated through the degree of our faithfulness to God in Christ.
Loyalty: following Christ wherever he goes and wherever he takes us – even when the demands are tough.
Blamelessness: honesty about our attempts to follow through on God’s plans and purposes for us as taught by Christ.
These characteristics are required of us and they are hallmarks of just how seriously we take out faith in God and our response to that faith. It’s one thing to fall short; it’s quite another to give up before we’ve even tried.
Back to the particularity of that figure of 144,000 – and that question: do we take a narrow view of scripture or a broad view of scripture?
Maybe we need Tim Harford and Radio 4’s More or Less to help us.
But, if you’re not sure which way to swing in the debate, I suppose one question to ask yourself is whether the love of God should be in any way restricted – either to 144,000 people or to those whose purity, loyalty and blamelessness is beyond reproach.
One of our favourite hymns here at Durham was written by nineteenth century theologian F W Faber, ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy’. It suggests that God’s mercy has a wideness like the wideness of the sea, for the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind. But, it goes on to say, we make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own.
For an Anglican convert to Roman Catholicism in the middle of the nineteenth century, Faber expresses a remarkably relaxed definition of the quality of God’s mercy. Indeed, definition is almost the wrong word because Faber is so careful not to define it – inasmuch as the word ‘define’ itself means to set limits and Faber rather seeks to break those limits down than to set boundaries to the extent of God’s mercy.
In which case, if Faber is right, where do the limits come from? Well, some of you might say they come from Revelation Chapters 7 and 14 – from holy scripture itself. Well possibly – but only according to one or two of the several meanings of this very particular figure of one hundred and forty-four thousand, whether they live in Norwich or not.
Do you take a narrow view of scripture or a broad view of scripture? That was my question at the start of this analysis of the figure one hundred and forty-four thousand.
Let me reframe the question: do you take a narrow view of God’s mercy or a broad view of God’s mercy? Look at the cross and then take the symbol of totality – the number 12 – and multiply it by the symbol of totality and then, just for emphasis, multiply the result by a thousand and sing F W Faber’s hymn, ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea’ because the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind – and thank heaven for that – so let’s say to the Church: don’t make God’s love too narrow by false limits of your own.
Let us pray:
A prayer of St Bridgid of Sweden.
By the sorrow you suffered when all the powers of your heart failed you, O Jesus have mercy on us. In our days of darkness, help us and, in our hours of weakness, strengthen us that we lose not our hold of you in this life, nor fail to enjoy you in the life of the world to come. Amen.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
Page 15 – My God, how wonderful thou art.